The heroine of my novel, Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire, is a bad girl.

She swears. She is sarcastic. She sleeps with a guy she shouldn’t—and then kisses another. But it’s her unique career that gets her into the most trouble.

Molly Miranda is a professional thief. She makes a living by breaking into museums, galleries and the homes of the rich. She pilfers art, jewelry and historical artifacts and delivers them to paying clients via a contractor. She has to live a secretive life and that’s not always easy.

I was trying to find something to read when the idea for Molly Miranda came into my head. I wanted a funny chick lit novel with some adventure thrown in, especially if the adventure focused on a heroine that broke the law. I couldn’t find anything, so I decided to write it myself.

Meg Cabot’s Heather Wells series was hugely important for me. I’ve been a fan of Cabot’s novels since I was a teenager, so when I finally read Size 12 is Not Fat a couple years ago, I knew what I wanted to write could be done successfully: action, adventure and a funny heroine can make a great book. I basically inhaled the rest of the series.

My love for funny female characters started in junior high with one very special book: Angus, Thongs & Full-Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison. I even gave Molly the middle name of ‘Georgia’ (after Georgia Nicolson, the heroine of Rennison’s books) to honor the series. It is laugh out loud funny, silly and touching.

My inspiration for Molly Miranda didn’t just come in books. Sandra Bullock’s characters in Miss Congeniality and The Heat are great examples of a career-focused woman who is a little awkward when it comes to relationships and Molly definitely has trouble there.

For those who didn’t see it—just admit it, you saw it—Mr. & Mrs. Smith, starring Brangelina before Brangelina was a thing, is about an assassin who marries a man to keep her secret. Little does she know, her husband is also undercover special ops. They have to work together and play to one another’s strengths to survive when their identities are revealed. I love the dynamic—working together for a common goal while the two characters have buckets of chemistry and there’s sexy, witty banter to be had.

I used a similar dynamic in Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire when Molly has to work with another thief that specializes in computer hacking on an assignment. There’s some flirtatious banter, back-stabbing and death threats and… well, I won’t spoil it for you!

But I can promise you one thing: Molly Miranda is nobody’s damsel in need of rescuing.

Jillianne Hamilton is an author and graphic designer based on Canada’s beautiful east coast. Molly Miranda: Thief for Hire recently reached #3 on Amazon’s bestseller list (Women’s Adventure Fiction) and is available on Kindle and paperback. Learn more at her website: http://jillianne-hamilton.com.